Based in Frederick, Maryland, Digital Ink & Parchment is a blog by Alexandria Pallat. Her posts explore the integration of faith in every day life.

Jul 15 Day 4: Confidence & Positivity

Some days are better than others. One minute you’re alright, the next you’re not. It’s the nature of life. It’s also the nature of dealing with depressive symptoms.

It also seems to be the nature of dealing with technology.

There was a TED Talk podcast the stood out to me today: “Why our screens make us less happy.” What I heard was fascinating. If you’re at all interested in the affect technology has on us, I recommend that episode.

But it made me wonder if that’s maybe part of my anxiety—that I seem reliant on technology.

So I decided to add something to my positivity challenge: I will reduce my time on some of my social media accounts. I am interested in how it will affect me.

Probably the best part of my day, though, was Belle graduating from training. She has gone through basic obedience training before, but I needed to feel more empowered in working with her, and I felt she needed a gentle reminder (as did I). She passed the test! Then the class did a “race” with loose-leash walking, and she did very well. I was so proud of her, and, I have to admit, a little proud of me. As we were doing the test, I realized I felt a lot more confident with her than I had before. I know she will be able to pick up on that confidence, which means she will listen better. I don’t know about her, but I certainly felt a sense of accomplishment when she received the laminated paper certificate.

What did I learn?

The one big message I’ve learned today is this: maybe society lends to our depressive symptoms. When we are on social media, we tend to compare ourselves and our lives to the lives of others. It adds to our expectations, which can lead to disappointment. (Check out “(Not) Exceeding Expectations” for more on expectations and disappointment.)

Most importantly, though, I think I learned my confidence is tied to my positivity. Being confident in my ability to do something, even if it is in training my dog, boosts my attitude significantly. Perhaps that is why I am happiest when I write, and why I want to teach again—because I am confident in those abilities.